I think there's something in the air. Because for the past week, all I can think about is starting something new. A pair of socks, a shawl, a sweater, something, ANYTHING! Is it because I've set this goal for myself to finish all my WIPs before anything else and I'm just craving the thing I can't have? Or is it because all you darn bloggers keep tempting and distracting me with ideas for new projects? Or could it be something else altogether?

This morning I walked out of the house with those items you see there. I wasn't until I was walking to the Farmers Market that I realize I was screaming Project Spectrum. Maybe it's a combination of me wanting to start something new and wanting to knit up the greens in my stash, the sock yarn, the laceweight and some felted tweed. Whatever the case may be, it's definitely been a green day.

Dinner, anyone?

My dinner tonight came out of my apple green Le Creuset. What's inside? A creation inspired by and adapted from another Everyday Food recipe, curried Lentils in tomato sauce from the March 2007 issue. Using what I had I in my pantry I came up with my own version.

Curried Lentils and Tomatoes
adapted from Curried Lentils in tomato sauce, Everyday Food March 2007

3 tablespoons oil oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 1-inch piece of ginger finely chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup uncooked lentils
1 can 20oz diced tomatoes
juice from 1 lime

Prepare lentils by rinsing them and placing them in a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet (or in my case, a 2qt dutch oven) and add onions and ginger. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking until onions begin to brown and caramelize. Add spices and stir for about a minute. Add lentils and tomatoes and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add lime juice and salt to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve over your preferred grain (shown with short grain brown rice).

Notes:
Not bad for my first try at adapting a recipe. It's good but not amazing. This is relatively spicey, so if you're not accustomed to spice, you may want to omit the cayenne and adjust the other spices accordingly. I can't compare this to the original as I haven't made it, but the original may be tastier as it calls for a jar of tomato sauce. Since I didn't have any, I used what I had. So this version of it may be a bit more bland since tomato sauce comes seasoned. Also, if you're planning on cooking for one or two, you might want to halve the recipe. The original calls for pre-cooked canned lentils and I kind of guessed the amount of uncooked lentils to use. If I had to guess the amount of people this recipe serves, I'd say 6. Let's just put it this way. It filled my 2qt dutch oven and if I don't find some people to feed, I'm going to be eating this for a week. Anyone want to come over for dinner?